%0 Journal Article
%T How Philosophy of Mind Needs Philosophy of Chemistry
%A Joseph E. Earley
%J Hyle : International Journal for Philosophy of Chemistry
%D 2008
%I HYLE Publications, Karlsruhe and University of Karlsruhe
%X By the 1960s many, perhaps most, philosophers had adopted 'physicalism' ¨C the view that physical causes fully account for mental activities. However, controversy persists about what counts as 'physical causes'. 'Reductive' physicalists recognize only microphysical (elementary-particle-level) causality. Many, perhaps most, physicalists are 'non-reductive' ¨C they hold that entities considered by other 'special' sciences have causal powers. Philosophy of chemistry can help resolve main issues in philosophy of mind in three ways: developing an extended mereology applicable to chemical combination; testing whether 'singularities' prevent reduction of chemistry to microphysics; and demonstrating 'downward causation' in complex networks of chemical reactions.
%K philosophy of chemistry
%K physicalism
%K philosophy of chemistry
%K philosophy of mind
%K mereology
%K structuralism
%K emergence
%K downward causation
%U http://www.hyle.org/journal/issues/14-1/earley.pdf